“You confuse me.” the young man said to her, as he hopped down from the windowsill into her bedchamber.
“How so?” she prodded, her eyes darting from her door, to her sword, wondering which she could get to first, should she need to.
“You’re a vampire. Yet…you’re kind. You make sense. But you confuse me.” he said, wrinkling his nose slightly as he headed over to her.
She kept still, watching as he approached. He did not seem to be a threat — yet. He paused just in front of her, running a hand over the sleeve of the long nightdress she wore. Reaching up, he brushed a hand against her hair, gazing into her eyes before he leaned in to sniff deeply at the nape of her neck.
“Peony and Chamomile.” he murmured.
“Excuse me?”
“Your scent.” he stated more clearly, though he had not moved. He lingered before reaching up, twining his fingers in her loose hair, before roughly tilting her head to the side, exposing her throat.
Still, she kept quiet. Were she alive, her heart would be pounding. He leaned in and inhaled deeply, growling softly as he did so. “Mine.”
She glanced again to the door, and her sword, weighing her options. He was dangerous, and could kill her at any moment, yet she stayed. Waited. Anticipated.
“Mine.” he said with a more growly tone, then leaned in to bite her. Not with fang, but with teeth, into her collarbone area, and not at her neck. The pressure wasn’t much, as it was more of a deep lover’s bite, and she found herself sighing happily at the sensation. Keeping at it, he nibbled from the shoulder to the nape of her neck, and on up to her ear before kissing her roughly on the lips.
Surprised, she found herself kissing back, with an equal intensity, running her fingers through his dark, tousled hair. With a grunt, he hefted up her petite frame, and she locked her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the bed. Dropping her down as he worked his way free from his pants, she lay there, watching him.
He was a young man indeed, one who’d had some been through some things, based on the way he carried himself, and gaze about his eyes on a normal basis. Presently, those eyes lustful, and she was more than willing to let him do what he wanted.
He pushed up her nightdress until the hem was within reach, when she took over and pulled it over her head, tossing it aside onto the floor, her long, loose hair cascading about her head and across the meager pillow. Stopping, he stared at her, his expression one of awe. After a moment of study, he leaned over her, pulling her legs apart before settling between them, kissing her knees before using his tongue up her thigh, before working to taste her more fully. She brought a hand up to her mouth, and bit into the crook of her thumb, muffling the noise so that the men outside her door should suspect nothing, and not disturb them.
Driven by her muffled moans, he kept at it, until she began to squirm more frequently, and his need to have her grew much greater. Pulling away from between her thighs, he shifted position again, hovering over her, supported mostly by his arms as he looked into her deep green eyes, and her back into his striking blue ones.
She reached up, again running her fingers through his tousled hair. He closed his eyes, sighing happily for a few moments, before catching her hand as she moved to do it again, kissing it before turning his attention to her breasts for a few moments. He inhaled deeply of her scent again, committing it to memory before inserting himself inside her, thrusting deeply. It wasn’t lovemaking — it was more primal and urgent than that; more like a deep-seated desire being fulfilled for the both of them.
Encouraging him onward, she wrapped her legs around him, and he growled once more, picking her up slightly to get what he wanted — no, what he needed — from a better angle. How much of the night passed, she could not say. When all was done they both lie there, spent. To her surprise, he was panting slightly, as though a bit out of breath. Reaching over, more out ofd curiosity than anything else, she reached over, placing a hand over his heart, and felt it beating. He froze, looking at her. He scrambled out of the bed, grabbing his clothes.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” she said, not moving from where she lay. In the distance, a howl sounded, followed by an answer to the call. Eyes wide, he quickly dressed, and moved toward the window.
“Wait…” she said, sitting up. “I can help you. You can stay. You’ll be safe.”
He walked over to her again, leaned down and kissed her with an intensity, one that reeked of passion and longing, before pulling away. He then reced for the window, and in one fluid motion, he jumped.
~
Petra awoke with a gasp, and it took her a moment to recognize her surroundings. The dream had felt very real, so it was jarring to be suddenly thrust into the present, after so recently having been in the past. Closing her eyes, she quickly ran through what had happened in the dream, realizing that it was more of a memory recall. With a sigh, she tossed aside the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, dangling them there for a few seconds before she pushed herself to a standing position.
Gathering clothes, she got dressed before spending the time necessary to first braid, then pin up her long hair. Very few people had ever seen it down at its actual length, because it made her feel vulnerable, and less in control, for whatever reason. As she did so, she thought to herself. Why that memory? Why now? She shook her head once she completed her task, and headed for the door to her room, her hood grumpier than what it might normally have been.
It felt like her mind had been taunting her, teasing her with memories of Vince in order to rile her up. Perhaps her beast was saying she should claim him from Quinn, as he had claimed her those centuries ago. The idea has merit, she though, before realizing it would just push him further away. Vince is happy with Quinn, she chided herself. Likewise, Brandon is happy with Paxton. They’ve moved on — I should too.
She’d badly marred the friendship she’d help with the two men she loved, and she wasn’t sure if there was much of a way to repair the rift. At least not now, while the wounds were still fresh. Shaking her head, she headed out. She had meetings to attend, but resolved to make time for herself. Perhaps she would visit Charles, and get some advice about how to move on. After all, once she had fully moved on, wouldn’t she be more able to focus on her own happiness?
After some thought, she blew off her meetings, leaving the working to her most trusted asset next to Nikolai — Esme. Normally, she might head to Elysium and mingle there, but she wasn’t in the mood for that either. Instead, she turned her in the direction of Donovan’s club, opting to sit and talk with her new associate. They’d become friends of a sort, and if nothing else, perhaps she could get distracted. Perhaps even get a bite to eat after.
Happy with this thought process, she pushed the dream as far from her mind as she could, trying to focus on the immediate, rather than past or future. The time would come for her eventually. Maybe one day she’d have better luck with men in the long run. After all, she’d only ever really had three relationships in all her years, and those included Brandon and Vince. For now, perhaps she should focus on the short term — have a little fun. Finding someone that she could enjoy? That might prove to be a little harder.